No One Seizing Tribe’s OF Openings

The Cleveland Indians started spring training with nine outfielders vying to make the Opening Day roster.

The front office seemed to think bringing in numbers would be the thing to do, and out of all these candidates, someone will step up and show themselves worthy of making the major league roster.

Halfway through spring training, it feels like it is more like attrition than players actually going out and winning a job.

We know spring training number are what they are, but if you are trying to win a big league job, shouldn’t you be putting up at least respectable numbers?

Check out these stats–

Greg Allen–2 for 21 with two walks. OPS: .317

Bradley Zimmer–5 for 25 with 10 strikeouts. He does have three doubles and a HR. He’s drawn one walk.

Jake Bauers–4 for 28 with 11 strikeouts and no walks. He has fanned in each of his last seven at bats.

Coming into camp, we figured Oscar Mercado would be in centerfield and Franmil Reyes and Domingo Santana would alternate between DH and one of the corner outfield spots.

Santana isn’t having a great spring either at 5 for 25 with 10 strikeouts, but he has more of a track record in the bigs. And Delino DeShields (5 for 22, 536 OPS) also has the ballclub made, even though he continues to prove to us that he can’t hit.

Jordan Luplow also will come north, mostly due to obliteration of left-handed pitching in 2019, but he’s just 4 for 18 on the spring, although he’s started to get it going in recent days, including a home run off a right-handed pitcher on Friday.

It has been pointed out by several pundits that maybe only five outfielders will come north, with the extra spot being used by keeping both Christian Arroyo (7 for 19) and Mike Freeman.

That would mean Allen, Bauers, and Zimmer will all open the season in AAA.

It also means Luplow would seem to get the bulk of the playing time in one corner spot, with DeShields playing occasionally somewhere. And we know Freeman can be pressed into duty in left field, if need be.

Luplow has shown he could hit righties in the minor leagues, so we have no problem getting a full shot to play everyday, and Terry Francona can always use Freeman in LF against a real tough right-hander.

What is tough to accept is the seeming lack of progress from those who should need to have a good spring to make the squad.

Bauers was given a pep talk about preparedness by the coaching staff before the end of last season, but it hasn’t translated. Zimmer continues to have contact issues, which is mind-boggling with the speed he has.

To our eye, Allen should be better than he has shown. He’s shown flashes at the big league level, but can’t sustain it.

And with Daniel Johnson and Ka’ai Tom needing to establish themselves at the AAA level, you have to wonder what the future holds for that trio.

Bauers can play first base, but Allen and Zimmer are strictly outfielders. Does the organization move one of them when spring training ends?

There’s still time, but it is running out quickly. Can any of this trio put something together to impress Francona and his staff?

Was Drafting Garland Unfair To Sexton?

Last June, the Cleveland Cavaliers made Darius Garland the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft despite drafting a smaller guard the year before in Collin Sexton.

We’ve heard a few people compare the situation to 1987 when the Cavs traded for Mark Price after he was drafted by Dallas in the second round, and then GM Wayne Embry picked Kevin Johnson, another lead guard in the first round the following draft.

The difference is Price didn’t play a lot as a rookie, averaging just 18 minutes a night, and scored just 6.9 points and three assists, and shot just 41% from the floor behind John Bagley.

The next season, Price averaged 16 points, 6 assists, and shot 50% from the floor, and by mid-season, Johnson was traded to Phoenix in a package that netted the Cavs Larry Nance Sr. and Mike Sanders.

Nance was the missing piece Cleveland needed and they won 57 games the following year, being eliminated in the playoffs by “The Shot”.

With Garland and Sexton both drafted very high, the front office and coaching staff felt they needed to play the two guards together, even though they sacrificed size, with two under 6’2″ players in the backcourt.

John Beilein thought the pair could play together and perhaps they could have in college, but in the pro, it’s tough to play defense with a lack of height, even at guard.

Perhaps the better idea would have been to start Sexton, who improved as his rookie season progressed and pair him with a bigger #2 guard, and bring Garland off the bench, much like Johnson over 30 years ago.

Sexton, who has been widely criticized all season long (including here), seemed unsure of what he was supposed to do, being moved off the ball.

Since the end of January, the second year man from Alabama has averaged 24.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. Keep in mind, a year ago, Sexton averaged three dimes per contest.

Perhaps it was too much to expect two rookie guards to play effectively at the NBA level this early. It seems playing with veterans helps Sexton, and maybe not having to guard bigger off-guards all night helps his offense too.

This is not to denigrate Garland, but he’s 19-years-old and only played four games in college a year ago.

When you play with guys who have been around, and know how to move the basketball, like Kevin Love, Larry Nance, and Matthew Dellavedova, it becomes contagious, and you become a better passer too.

Sexton admitted when Beilein stepped down and J.B. Bickerstaff took over, that he looked inward and wondered if he needed to play better and play differently. He certainly has done just that.

If Sexton continues to play like he has in the last month, GM Koby Altman has a huge decision to make. Does he turn the keys to the offense over to Sexton and make a move with Garland?

The rookie is averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, and he looks like he can play in the NBA. But Kevin Porter Jr. has scored 10 points and dished out 2.2 assists in seven less minutes per night, and he looks like a keeper too.

Resolving the backcourt may be the single most important decision the Cavs have to make this off-season. However, they may not get the value they want because of how they handled the 2019-20 season.

Can Someone Step Up In Tribe Bullpen?

Coming into spring training everyone was excited to see the new power arms in the Cleveland Indians’ bullpen.

James Karinchak struck out everyone in the minor leagues, and then came up in September to whiff eight hitters in 5-2/3 big league innings. Then, they added Emmanuel Clase from Texas in the Corey Kluber deal, and he comes to Cleveland with a 100 MPH cutter.

Certainly, they would combine with Brad Hand to give the Tribe a formidable back end of the bullpen, allowing Terry Francona to shorten games.

Things always look good on paper, though.

Now, Clase is out for 8-12 weeks with an upper back muscle pull, so there is an opening on the roster to come north with the team on March 26th.

Right now, these pitchers would seem to have a roster spot locked up: Hand, Karinchak, Nick Wittgren, and Oliver Perez.

We would include Adam Cimber, but he’s on the shelf right now too.

With Francona usually wanting eight relievers, that would leave four spots open in the bullpen.

The concern right now is the performance of some of what folks considered the leading candidates to fill those spots.

Hunter Wood has spent parts of the last three years in the big leagues, and has been a decent performer out of the ‘pen. He’s allowed six earned runs in an inning and a third in two appearances with two walks.

Dominic Leone is a reliever brought in over the winter with major league experience and he has pitched three times in Arizona, and been knocked around each time.

James Hoyt received some high leverage appearances in September last season, so you would think he’s got an inside track to open the season in Cleveland, but he needs to start getting people out. He’s allowed seven hits and four runs in 3-1/3 frames.

The most effective of the veterans is a guy we mentioned in a piece a week ago. Phil Maton has allowed just one run in five outings.

Does this open up the competition? Yesterday, Jefry Rodriguez, thought to be a starter, was used in relief vs. the Angels. He pitched a solid first inning, but got cuffed around in his second inning of work. He hasn’t been particularly effective either, allowing eight runs in 4-1/3 innings.

Although it is early, we are sure that Francona, Carl Willis, and new bullpen coach Brian Sweeney wouldn’t mind seeing people getting hitters out.

Does this open the door for some non-roster invitees to claim a spot? We understand it’s not the usual way the Indians do business, but on the other hand, they really can’t afford a bad start to the 2020 season.

For example, Kyle Nelson could provide a third lefty out of the bullpen. The 23-year-old southpaw struck out 69 hitters in 47-1/3 innings in the minors a year ago, including 16 in 12 AAA frames. He’s made just one appearance in a major league game this spring though.

We have seen more of 25-year-old Cam Hill though. Hill had a 4.74 ERA at Columbus last season, fanning 36 hitters in 24 innings. He’s made three appearances this spring, allowing just one run.

This is a season to check out exhibition box scores, to see what relievers are pitching early in games, when the regulars are still playing, and if any new names are appearing. If you see that, it could mean the staff is searching for some answers, should the veterans continue to struggle.

What Fans Really Want From Owners.

What is the role a professional sports team owner? It seems in Cleveland we talk about the ownership of the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers a lot, and our thought is what do fans want from the owners?

We believe most fans want the owners to stay out of the day to day operations of the team. Hire a good front office staff and get the heck out of the way.

That’s the strength of the Indians. The Dolan family have had two men in charge since they purchased the team–Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti.

Really, since Richard Jacobs bought the team in 1986, there has been stability at the top, starting with Hank Peters, on to John Hart, to Shapiro and Antonetti. That’s 34 years where the head of baseball operations has come from within.

Now, some will debate whether or not that is a good thing or not, but there seems to be a continuous plan on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

However, there is the matter of payroll for the players, the folks fans pay to see on a regular basis.

Really, this doesn’t come into focus unless the team is in contention mode.

No one really complains that the Browns have had plenty of salary cap space over the past ten years because they’ve been quite frankly, terrible.

We heard a local radio personality complain the Haslams are reluctant to spend money, pointing out the significant dollars under the cap, but we feel most people think it would be worse if they were up against the threshold and they continually finished 5-11 or 6-10.

The Cavaliers are trying to get out of the luxury tax in the NBA and no one is raising a stink about this. Why? The Cavs are rebuilding. It’s a non-issue.

Look at the situation the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently in. Their payroll will be around $50 million this season, but there is no uproar because the team is firmly in rebuilding mode. If this was the situation the Indians were in, the same would be true in northeast Ohio.

Fans want teams to spend when the time is right. Dan Gilbert and the Cavaliers went above and beyond when LeBron James was here in terms on exceeding the salary cap in an effort to win a title. That’s why the ticket buying public support him.

And we have no doubt Jimmy and Dee Haslam will spend if and when the Browns are a playoff team to try and get the team to its first Super Bowl. Unfortunately, it’s been 30 years since the Cleveland football team has been in that situation.

That’s the frustration fans have with the Indians. They are most definitely in contention, making three post-season appearances in the last four seasons. Yet, for whatever reason, they are reducing the amount of money to be spent on players.

And we do understand the lack of a salary cap in baseball, which you wouldn’t think plays into the Indians’ situation, but it does because big market teams can conceivably spend hugely.

Fans want owners to want to win, particularly in a market where there has been one professional sports title in the last 56 years.

All of the other things are nice, but championships are what really matters to the fans. It would be nice if all of the owners of professional sports teams understood this.

Early Good, Bad, And Ugly For Tribe.

We realize that it is very early in the exhibition game schedule, they’ve been playing games for a week now, but it is never too early to examine some of the results to this point.

For proven veterans, spring training statistics shouldn’t really be examined. For example, if Francisco Lindor was hitting .182 in the middle of March, no one should be alarmed. He’s a known commodity, but for young players and guys who fighting for the last two or three spots on the 26 man roster, it’s worth taking a look at.

Remember that a good three hit day, or a hot week can change everything, and so can an 0 for 15 stretch with 10 strikeouts.

That said, here are the good, the bad, and the ugly after a week of games in the desert.

The Good. Any concerns about Franmil Reyes’ loss of weight should be going away. The big man has started 6 for 13, with two homers and just one strikeout. Lindor and Jose Ramirez are a combined 11 for 23 with four doubles and a home run.

Bobby Bradley, a longshot to make it, has done what he needs to do. The left-handed slugger is 5 for 11 and has struck out just once.

Oscar Mercado is 3 for 10 and has two walks, an area where he needs to improve if he wants to hit at the top of the order, and another longshot, Ka’ai Tom is 5 for 12, but has struck out three times.

James Karinchak has been filthy so far, fanning four in his first two innings, although he struggled with his control a bit yesterday.

The Bad. When you are battling for the 25th or 26th spot on the roster, you can’t afford to have a bad start, so Greg Allen starting off 1 for 10 isn’t helping his cause. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Yu Chang is 5 for 15, but contact issues have been a problem, striking out six times already.

Dominic Leone, who has some big league experience with Seattle, Arizona, and St. Louis, has a chance to come north particularly after the injury to Emmanuel Clase. Unfortunately, he’s given up 11 hits, including a home run in three innings, struggling in all of his outings.

It may be tough to overcome that.

The Ugly. Losing Clase for perhaps 8-12 weeks with an upper back strain has been the toughest news from camp. He was the biggest acquisition in the Corey Kluber deal, and people will excited to see he and Karinchak in the bullpen. Now, it could be May or June before he is back.

And opens up another bullpen spot.

Losing Mike Clevinger doesn’t help either. Clevinger was in the mix as the Opening Day starter, but will probably miss the first three or four weeks of the season with a torn meniscus.

With this injury and minor setbacks for Carlos Carrasco and Aaron Civale, who knows who will start the first five games of the season for the Indians.

Again, it’s very early. But the injuries are a concern, and the players off to bad starts need to start turning it around if they want to be in uniform against the Tigers on March 26th.

Could Playing With Size Be More In Vogue For Cavs?

In the fourth quarter of Monday night’s comeback victory over the Miami Heat, new Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff did something we have advocated for about three months.

He went big.

He played Darius Garland at the point, played Kevin Porter Jr., a two guard with some actual size at 6’4″, and then went with Larry Nance Jr. at the three, with Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson up front.

These Cavaliers were better defensively, and we feel a big reason for that is the height being used.

Nance’s improved three point shooting, he’s a respectable 34% from distance in the past two seasons, allow the coaching staff to play him there. Nance referred to himself as a “swiss army knife” after the game, and that’s a pretty good analysis.

We loved the acquisition of Nance in 2018 at the trade deadline, because in watching a few Lakers’ games that season, we felt he was the best “player” on the team.

He’s a solid defender, which the wine and gold desperately need, and a very good passer for a forward. Defensively, he has enough quickness to stay with small forwards, and with his leaping ability, can bother the shots of power forwards.

The only questions about the former Revere High School product are his durability, he’s never played more than 67 games in a season, and his lack of bulk when defending in the paint.

We have written about this ad nauseum, but a big part of Cleveland’s struggles defensively is lack of size. Playing Garland and Collin Sexton at guard together make the team very small, and that is compounded playing Porter Jr. at small forward.

Notice that Andre Drummond wasn’t in that lineup against the Heat, but he soon will be part of that group, at least we hope so.

The new big man is getting just 10.8 shots per game with the Cavs, compared to almost 14 a night with Detroit. In the loss to Miami Saturday night, Drummond took just three shots, which is ridiculous.

We are not worried about this because the Cleveland guards are quite frankly, terrible at making entry passes into the post. That’s amazing to say about a player in the NBA.

As the coaching staff works with them, and playing Porter, who is a willing passer, more often, we would expect that to improve, and Drummond will get more shots.

He is active defensively, moves well for a big guy, and at 6’10”, gives the franchise a legitimate offensive big man. Tristan Thompson has done a great job, but he is really more suited to being a defensive oriented power forward.

The other player we hear being questioned is Cedi Osman. He is another player we feel is not being used in an optimate manner.

We think Osman is best used as a slasher, a guy who drives to the hoop and either finishes or has the ability to find the open man. Right now, he’s kind of a spot up three point shooter, and although he is hitting 38% from behind the arc, he is more streaky from distance.

It will be interesting to see if Bickerstaff uses this bigger lineup more often. It certainly can’t hurt. Hopefully, he is using the rest of the year as a laboratory, seeing what does and does not work.

Even though teams are playing smaller in today’s NBA, make no mistake, size is still important. It’s about time the Cavs’ front office got on board.

These Indians Are Flying Under The Radar.

Exhibition games (we love that baseball calls them that) have started in both Florida and Arizona, and that means fans can start analyzing box scores.

They don’t mean a heck of a lot because we don’t know what opposing pitchers are working on, nor do we know if hitters are trying to hit the ball the other way, or trying a different approach.

Anyway, here is a look at four players on the Indians’ spring training roster who seem to have been overlooked coming into training camp, but have real possibilities of making the final 26 man roster at the end of March.

Jake Bauers. Bauers is a former top 100 prospect (2017 and 2018 with Tampa Bay) who came over in the deal which sent Yandy Diaz to the Rays.

At AAA, he had a 780 OPS, mostly built on a .363 on base percentage.

He was getting a lot of playing time in the outfield at the start of the season, but was hitting just .245 with a .316 OBP at the All Star break.

And he seemed too patient, which didn’t help his cause. For example, when he was ahead in the count 3-1, he was just 3 for 14.

Terry Francona had a talk with Bauers at the end of the season about being more consistent in his work habits. We will see if the left-handed hitter, who isn’t yet 25 years old takes it to heart.

He probably has the inside track to come north with Tyler Naquin hurt, but he is going to have to produce to insure that.

Jefry Rodriguez. People forget that it was Rodriguez who was the first starting pitcher called up when Mike Clevinger was hurt in his second start of the year.

In his first four starts, he went at least 5-2/3 innings and allowing less than three runs in each. In his last three outings, he didn’t get past the fifth and then was shelved with a shoulder strain.

The right-hander won’t turn 27 until July, and if he is healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find him in the rotation to start the season, beating out one of this trio–Adam Plutko, Zach Plesac, or Aaron Civale.

Mike Freeman. The veteran did a solid job as the Indians’ utility man a year ago, but as usually happens to 32-year-olds who aren’t regulars he was designated for assignment when the season ended to open up a roster spot.

Freeman hit .272 with a 752 OPS in 75 games a year ago, and provided the Tribe with professional at bats. He’s adequate with the glove, can play a decent shortstop, and can even do a decent job in left field.

He’s fighting an uphill climb, with Christian Arroyo out of options, to head north with the team, but at the worst, he will be ready if needed at Columbus.

Phil Maton. Outside of the first half of last season in San Diego (21 games, 7.77 ERA), the soon to be 27-year-old (on Opening Day) has been a serviceable big league pitcher.

He had a 4.19 ERA in 43 innings in 2017, and a 4.37 ERA in 47-1/3 innings in 2018, and had a 2.92 ERA in eight appearances with the Tribe last year.

He has fanned over a batter per inning in his career, but has also allowed more than a hit per inning.

Still, we think he stands a good chance of opening the year in Cleveland.

These guys could be keys for the 2020 Indians, but no one is really talking about them right now. We will see if that changes as exhibition play continues.

Tribe Keys To A Fast Start.

If the Cleveland Indians want to return to the post-season in 2020, they obviously have to make up ground on last season’s division champion, Minnesota Twins.

Either the Tribe needs to decrease the 170 runs scored gap between them and the Twins or they need to widen the .44 divide in ERA. Doing both would be optimal.

Last season (according to WAR), the three worst spots for the Indians were second base, DH, and centerfield.

With that said, here are the players we consider to be the keys for the 2020 Tribe–

Cesar Hernandez. The switch-hitting former Phillie is replacing long time second baseman, Jason Kipnis. The Cleveland front office is hoping that last season was a blip on the radar in terms of the soon to be 30 year old’s ability to get on base.

From 2016-18, Hernandez’ lowest on base percentage was .356. He walked 95 times in ’18. He also tailed off in the second half a year ago, with a 759 OPS before the All Star Game, and 720 after.

Last year, Kipnis had a .304 on base percentage, and Cleveland is hoping that Hernandez can take some walks and move the offense along.

Oscar Mercado had a .318 OBP hitting mostly in the #2 hole in ’19. If Hernandez can get on base at his career mark (.352), he could fit in nicely in that spot and give more opportunities for the middle of the order to drive him in.

Domingo Santana/Franmil Reyes. To put it nicely, one of the reasons the Indians traded for Reyes at the deadline in July was the production of their DH’s were atrocious, and LF wasn’t much better.

If Santana can hit like he did in the first half (.286, 18 HR, 63 RBI, .850 OPS), then all of a sudden the Indians have two power bats in their lineup, and when you add in Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Jose Ramirez, it gives them five guys with 25+ home run power.

Last year, Minnesota had five players with 30 or more blasts.

Defensively, it could be a challenge putting one of these guys out there on a regular basis, but Terry Francona could replace them if he has a lead late in the contest.

Oscar Mercado. Cleveland’s WAR in CF was low in part due to Leonys Martin’s dreadful performance before he was released, but they need Mercado to improve upon his rookie season.

The 25 year old was pretty steady (755 OPS in the first half, 765 in the second) in his rookie year, but an improvement in his .318 on base percentage would help him be a better offensive threat.

He could wind up hitting lower in the order if the skipper determines he would rather have Hernandez’ ability to get on at the top of the order.

Bullpen Heat. Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis got better results than could have been expected from a relief corp without many hard throwers, particularly after Brad Hand developed a tired arm.

Everyone, from the fans to the front office, are banking on the impact and development of young flame throwers Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak to help shorten games.

That put less stress on the starting pitching, which is also young, at least to start the season.

Our guess is Francona will want to start them slowly, but may not be able to.

The Tribe needs to get off to a faster start than a year ago, and shortening games with the two new toys will help.

Remember, the Twins won the Central because they had an 11-1/2 game lead on June 2nd, due to them being 29-30. From then on, Cleveland went 64-33, and played at a pace that was three games better than Minnesota, and that’s with the Tribe losing their last five.

These players could be the key, along with a healthy Lindor, to getting off to that good start.

Cavs’ New Direction Is Hopefully Forward.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the floor Friday night, they will have a new coach in J. B. Bickerstaff.

This is will be the third time the soon to be 41 year old has taken over a team in the middle of a season. He took over for Kevin McHale in Houston during the 2015-16 season, guiding the Rockets to a 37-34 record.

He also assumed the reins in Memphis from David Fizdale in 2017-18 and coached through last season, going 48-97 with the Grizzlies.

Here, he takes over what appears to be a mess. And we say that including the front office, John Beilein’s relationship with the roster, and the players themselves.

Let’s start with the front office. Koby Altman was the first GM to receive a second contract under owner Dan Gilbert, but since LeBron James departed via free agency after the franchise’s fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title, the Cavs have a 33-103 record.

Yes, the wine and gold are rebuilding, but they haven’t stripped the roster bare either. Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. all received a lot of minutes on that 2017-18 team, and they are still here.

So is Cedi Osman, who was considered a youngster with talent on that squad.

However, has Altman put his thumbprint on this organization? It seems here like he is collecting talent, which on the surface would appear to be a good thing, but basketball is a different sport. Collecting talent isn’t everything, collecting complementary talent makes for a winning team.

Getting Andre Drummond for pretty much nothing is a good move. But it seems to clash with the team’s leading scorer, Collin Sexton.

Shouldn’t the current roster be playing inside out, with Drummond and Kevin Love getting the ball around the paint and the guards playing off them when they are double teamed? That doesn’t seem like Sexton’s strong point.

We would guess Bickerstaff has a better relationship with the players than Beilein, because they didn’t seem to like the former college coach, and the assistant would typically be the guy the players complain to about the head guy.

But now Bickerstaff is the boss, and he is setting up the rotations and controlling the playing time. Because of his previous experience, maybe he will grab the players’ attention, and get them to buy in to the way he wants the game played.

The players aren’t immune from criticism either. It’s one thing to complain about a coach trying to teach when you are winning, but when you are losing 3/4ths of the time you take the floor, perhaps you should listen.

We have said this before, but two former players who do Cavs’ telecasts, Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty, use this word all the time…accountability. It is lack among this roster and we fear nothing will improve with the Cavaliers until there is some.

And that goes for the young guys and the veterans. Perhaps this was lost when the coaching staff didn’t hold the newbies to an NBA standard from day one. We don’t know that, but it has to be enforced by both the coaches and the veterans starting now.

The defenders say Cleveland is only a year and a half into the post-LeBron era, so the struggles are understandable.

Our problem is we don’t see a lot of progress in performance particularly in the basics of the game. You can play the right way and lose or play the wrong way and lose. We prefer the former.

The next era starts Friday. Hopefully, the internal strife is behind this organization and they can start to pull in the same direction.

Hard To Find Fault With Cavs Or Beilein For This Failure.

It appears the revolving door that is the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers has started to turn again.

It is very likely that John Beilein has coached his last game in the NBA for the Cavs, and it is difficult to place blame on this failure to work on any one party.

In theory, hiring a college coach was a decent idea. The wine and gold put together a very young roster, and the thought was let’s bring in someone who can teach the kids to play the right way.

Beilein was connected to the Cavs by assistant GM Mike Gansey, who played for him at West Virginia, and obviously he thought he was prepared for an 82 game schedule and all the other things that came with being an NBA head coach.

He was wrong. He isn’t happy, and at 67 years old, shouldn’t you want to do something that gives you joy?

And that’s what we believe, that this is Beilein’s decision more than it’s the front office being unhappy with the direction of the team.

We do think there are reasons for the coach’s discontent though.

We feel he knows the current roster isn’t set up for success, and the front office is driving the idea of playing the “mini backcourt” of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. The coaching staff knows it is very difficult to win in the pro game playing a pair of guard that are under 6’2″.

The tipping point for the former Michigan coach may have been the trading deadline. There has been speculation Beilein wanted Sexton and Kevin Love moved before the rosters were set for the balance of the season, and when that didn’t happen, he decided he couldn’t wait to get out.

The Cavs shouldn’t be shocked with the move either. After all, they hired a 66 year old head coach with no NBA experience. If they didn’t have an idea this may not work, then they were foolish.

We would guess JB Bickerstaff takes over the reins for the rest of the season. What he needs to establish is a blueprint for how the Cavaliers are going to play, and that imprint should come after a discussion with the front office.

Cleveland sports people have been using the term “alignment” a lot recently, mostly in discussing the Browns. However, the same thing is needed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

We have been saying for about a month now, that the Cavs need an identity besides young players getting better.

If it was up to us, we would establish a defensive mindset. Most NBA players (if not all) can put the ball in the basket, but playing time should be determined by effort and success when the ball isn’t in your hands.

Until there is accountability on the other end of the floor, it is difficult to see significant progress for this group.

Perhaps Bickerstaff can talk to Altman and get the “season has been a success” crap out of the way. It is time to start seeing progress, and it should start with playing defense.

You don’t play it? You don’t play.

If Bickerstaff can start putting this in place, keep him on for next year. If not, hire someone who will, but they have to have Altman on the same page.

Otherwise, it won’t work, and we will likely be talking about the same thing at this time next year.